Shivers
by Raloria
Summary: Dean gets attacked by a ghost and spends the next 48 hours feeling as cold as death.


**Title:** Shivers  
**Word Count:** 2,563  
**Summary:** Dean gets attacked by a ghost and spends the next 48 hours feeling as cold as death.  
**Warnings:** Angsty, hurt-comfort, schmoop (hopefully).  
**Disclaimer:** Eric Kripke owns Sam & Dean. I'm just a fan letting her creative juices flow and enjoying all the brotherly angst in the process.  
**Notes:** Some may read this as slash, but it was not written that way. Also the timetable for this fic is open to interpretation. It could be implied that this is post-hell Dean, but there's nothing clear to point to that here.

_Btw, I don't have a beta and any mistakes are purely my own._

This fic is for the Dean-focused SCHMOOPFEST! Challenge at hoodie_time on Livejournal.  
It fills both these prompts: Prompt #1: hugs/cuddling & Prompt #2: bed-sharing.

* * *

Sam paced the floor of the motel room, waiting to get a call back from Bobby. He kept glancing over towards the bed where his brother laid, quivering under every blanket in the room. He'd turned on the heat, but it really didn't offer much help. It also didn't help that outside the temperatures were colder than normal for this time of year, putting the small town into a deep freeze.

After about his 20th lap in the room, his cell phone rang.

"Bobby?", Sam answered in a slightly panicked voice, "You got somethin'?"

"Yeah. Took a little digging, but I found what you described. Sounds like that ghost you boys ran into at the warehouse was one of the few that can emit what's called 'Death Fog'."

Bobby could almost hear Sam stop breathing.

"Now, don't panic, son. This thing actually sounds worse than it is."

He heard Sam expel a long breath. "Okay..."

"It's not fatal. The idea is that it mimics death in a way. All it'll do is make Dean unbelievably cold. You've already seen that. He'll be super uncomfortable, but in most cases this thing runs it's course after 48 hours."

"So it just goes away on it's own?"

"Yep. Looks like you boys dodged a bullet...again." Sam could hear Bobby's smirk on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, one of the few times. Thanks Bobby."

"Take care, kid." And with that they both hung up.

Sam put his phone down on the table in the corner and ran his hands through his hair. Not fatal. _Thank God._ When he'd heard Dean's scream and ran to his brother inside that warehouse he'd feared the worst. The ghost, which he could barely see in the dark, had a hold of Dean's head and was breathing this white fog at his face. Dean's skin turned deathly white immediately and he dropped hard to the ground when Sam blasted the ghost with rock salt from his shotgun.

After that all he cared about was getting Dean out of there. He ended up half carrying Dean back to the Impala. About the only thing Dean managed to stutter out was how cold he was and Sam raced them back to the relative warmth of the motel room and quickly called Bobby.

He walked over to the bed, laying a hand on Dean's shoulder and giving it a shake. "I've got good news."

"S-s-ab-bout time", Dean stuttered out. Sam could barely see his brother's face from the cocoon of blankets.

"Yeah. It's not fatal. You'll just be cold for a couple of days and then it'll wear off."

Sam thought he heard a semi-appreciative grunt from the shaking form, then a muttered, "So f-f-friggin' c-c-cold".

"Do you want the blanket from the car?" Sam knew it was a dumb request. They had one blanket to their name and it hadn't been cleaned since the last time it was needed during a hunt. It was stained, dirty, and reeked of blood and sweat. Still, he figured as cold as Dean was he might not turn it down.

Sam got his answer when Dean exposed his face long enough to give one patented death glare and then hid beneath the covers again. So much for that idea.

"Do you want me to heat up some soup?" Sam had to keep trying.

"M-m-maybe l-later", came from the blanket pile along with a few grunts and whimpers.

"You okay?", he leaned over his brother, hoping for some clue about his brother's increased distress.

"P-p-peachy!"

Sam got an idea then. He proceeded to remove his boots and lift up all the blankets covering Dean except the bottom one.

"What the h-hell are y-y-you doin'?"

Sam climbed in, undeterred by Dean's annoyed look. Getting under the rest of the covers, he pressed in close to Dean, his right arm across his chest and holding his brother in a half bear hug. "Dean, relax! The blankets aren't helping and since you're not generating enough of your own body heat I'm sharing mine."

"Y-you've g-g-gotta be k-kiddin' me!" Dean tried to wiggle away and failed because he was too wrapped up in the blankets. Sam just held on tighter, resting his head under Dean's shoulder. "This'll help. Trust me. I know you're sick of shivering, so shut up."

Dean finally relaxed a bit, seeing no more point in expending energy that he didn't have at the moment. Truth was, the shivering had gotten old over an hour ago. His body ached, he was tired, and he couldn't even go to sleep because he was so uncomfortable.

He also had to admit, only to himself, of course, that this brought back some old memories of when they were kids and little Sammy had crawled into his bed because he couldn't sleep. Even back then, Dean liked to maintain a tough guy reputation, but as a young kid spending too many nights alone in too many run-down motels, he kind of welcomed having someone close by, even if it was his snot-nosed baby brother. It didn't happen often, but enough for Dean to remember that sometimes he needed Sam there cuddled up next to him more than his little brother needed him. Then dad would return and it was back to being tough little dutiful soldiers. Before long, sharing a bed was abandoned altogether. Once Sam had learned about the family business and seen his first Wendigo, the darkness of a strange room didn't frighten him anymore.

Sam could feel Dean start to relax and after a little while his shivering lessened. Before long he could tell Dean had finally drifted off to sleep. His skin was still chilled, his face still pale, but Sam was grateful that his brother was comfortable enough to get even a little rest. Sam soon fell into a light sleep himself.

"No...please." That was the first thing Sam heard as he woke up. A few more whimpers from the form next to him and it got through the sleepy ether of his brain that his brother was having a nightmare. Opening his eyes and tilting his head up he quickly shifted closer to Dean's pale, but now sweat-covered face.

"Dean, wake up. Wake up man, you're alright." He gave his brother's shoulder a few shakes.

"No...please don't leave me here."

Sam used a little more force and Dean woke with a start, his breathing erratic. It took a minute for his eyes to focus. "What're you doin'?"

"You were having a nightmare."

Dean wiped a hand down his damp face, collecting himself. "Yeah, whatever." He really didn't want to talk about it. It was bad enough having nightmares disrupt his sleep when was he was feeling normal, but considering he resembled a human popsicle it was even worse.

"You...you wanna talk about it?", Sam hesitantly offered.

"No. In fact, get away from me okay?"

"Dean..."

"Now, Sam!" Dean felt uncomfortable as it was, but having his little brother laying next to him, in bed, and wanting to have a heart-to-heart was more than he could handle. He was trapped under a ton of blankets and he needed some space.

Sam got out from under the covers, tucking them back in around Dean. He stood there a moment before quietly heading into the bathroom. Dean let out a weary sigh. He really didn't mean to snap like that, but this "Death Fog" thing made him feel like crap and after that nightmare his nerves were frayed.

Emerging from the bathroom a few minutes later, Sam looked at the clock. At least their nap had used up several hours. It was night now, and if he was going to be looking after his brother for another 24 hours he could use some coffee.

"I'm gonna make a run over to the convenience store, alright? Think you'll be okay for a few minutes?"

"Yeah...just hurry back."

"I will." Sam grabbed his coat and headed out in the bitter cold to the store across the street.

It would figure that soon after Sam left that Dean would get thirsty. He didn't have much an appetite, but after that nap his mouth was dry. He could wait until Sam returned, but he was tired of laying there like a frozen burrito. With a bit of wiggling he was able to get out of the pile of blankets and sat up on the edge of the bed, grabbing the top blanket to wrap about himself. Geez, he was cold. The air in the room didn't feel all that cold, but he was freezing. Gathering his strength, which was waning from hardly eating anything for the past day, he pushed himself off the bed and started walking to the little kitchenette area on the other side of the room. It wasn't all that far, but to Dean it might as well have been a mile away. His body felt stiff and his steps were less than steady. Funny how moving made him feel colder rather than warmer.

Getting closer, his vision blurred a little and he felt dizzy. _Not enough food. This is bad Winchester._ He could feel the shivering resume in earnest. If he could only get to the sink. There was a glass already on the small counter.

A little closer. A few more steps and he'd be there. Suddenly, his stomach muscles cramped up and Dean bent over in pain. Before he knew it he was on the floor, shuddering.

Sam hurried back to the motel. He'd gotten his coffee, plus some food he could heat up that hopefully Dean would be willing to eat. Entering the room quickly to get out of the frigid night air, he immediately noticed Dean's empty bed.

"Dean?"

As he set the bag and coffee on the corner table he heard whimpering and a shuffling sound from the back of the room. He turned and could see Dean laying on the floor on the other side of the small kitchenette table.

"Dean!" Sam rushed over, kneeling by his brother and raising his upper body into his arms. Dean was shivering so badly it almost looked like he was having a seizure. All Sam could think to do was hold him and hope it was enough for the violent shivering to stop. He tried to make sure the blanket was wrapped around as much of Dean as possible and hugged him tight. The position was uncomfortable, but that didn't matter right now. Despite his whimpers, Dean seemed pretty out of it, but Sam felt the need to say something comforting.

"Shhhhh. I've got you, Dean. It's okay. You'll be warm soon."

Sam put his hand against Dean's forehead, trying to steady him. His skin was so cold and clammy. "Hang on Dean. This'll all be over soon and you'll be back to normal."

It felt like forever, but after about ten minutes, the shivering subsided and Dean was finally able to speak.

"Took you long enough."

"Why did you get out of bed?"

"Was thirsty."

"And you couldn't wait?"

"Thought I could make it.", Dean slurred. "Guess 'snot."

"We need to get you back to bed", Sam said as he started to move to help Dean up, but his brother resisted.

"Wait. Wait Sam. I need a few minutes, okay?" Sam noticed the weariness in Dean's voice right away. Whatever happened had taken a lot out of him. Sam kept his hold tight, giving Dean the time he needed.

Once some time had passed, they both managed to make it back over to the bed and Dean settled in under the covers again. Sam fixed some soup and Dean ate it without complaint.

"You gonna tell me what happened? How you ended up on the floor like that?"

"Nothing happened, Sam. I was just too weak to make it over there. Lesson learned, okay? It's no big deal. I'm better now."

Sam gave Dean a suspicious look. Should he pursue this or not? He knew when his brother was hiding something, especially from that darned Winchester pride. More than likely there was more to the story than simply being too weak to walk. But Dean was right, it was over and at least he had eaten something. It was more than Sam expected and he decided to be happy with that. Dean settled back down on the bed and was able to fall asleep.

In a few more hours, with any luck, this would all be behind them. Sam got on the laptop to start researching where the next hunt would be. He knew Dean would want to get back on the job as soon as he felt better. Even while across the room, at the table, he kept an eye on how Dean was doing. If he noticed his brother shivering at all, Sam simply got under the covers, sharing his body heat once again until the quivering stopped and then he'd return to his laptop until he sensed he was needed again. Dean didn't protest or complain and neither of them said anything more about it.

By the next morning, Sam was sleeping in his own bed and awoke to the smell of coffee in the room. He sat up and saw Dean, sitting at the table in the kitchenette, coffee mug in hand and a bowl of oatmeal in front of him.

"Morning sunshine. You gonna sleep all day?"

Sam rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "I take it you're feeling better."

"Yeah, woke up about an hour ago and I was sweating under all those blankets. Took that as a good sign", Dean gave his signature smirk. Sam couldn't help but smile a little. It was good to see his brother back in better spirits, and he noted, with a lot more color in his skin.

"So get yourself dressed and fed, Sammy. I take it you found a hunt for us?"

Sam got out of bed and started walking towards the bathroom. "Yeah, there are some hauntings in a new housing development we should check out."

"Please tell me it's somewhere in the south with a warmer climate than here at north pole central."

"Actually, it is. It's in Texas and the temps down there have been in the 70s." Sam saw a broad smile form on Dean's face.

"Thank God! The sooner we get out of this popsicle stand, the better." Dean put his empty coffee mug in the sink as Sam stopped to grab some fresh clothes from his bag.

Sam paused what he was doing and straightened. "Dean? Are we gonna...talk about what happened?", he tried to choose his next words carefully, "With the bed and all? I mean, I know it was awkward, but it was the only thing I could think of."

Dean gave a heavy sigh and leaned against the counter. "Sam. It's cool, okay? We're cool...so to speak."

Sam ducked his head a bit and smiled, heading towards the bathroom again. He stopped in the doorway when he heard Dean say, "And thank you."

Without turning towards Dean, he answered, "You're welcome." and went inside, closing the door behind him.


End file.
